[iBook] iPod Questions (OT)

[Reid Conti]

I feel the same way about the iTrip -- it really needs buttons.  But I
used it with my 1G that gets 8+ hours of battery life, and it made it
6 hours before I got to my destination, and the battery never died! 
So I feel that the iTrip is very easy on batteries.  Some of the
all-in-one solutions really suck, a friend has one, and the FM
transmitter on it is worthless.. it's an older one, but just saying..
don't assume it's the best.

I actually kinda prefer the tape adapter for cars, it's just easy.

Probably the best way to go is an FM modulator, that would give you an
AUX IN jack to plug your ipod into, but the other end goes between
your car's antenna and the deck.. so it feeds it right into the deck
thru the antenna hookup, like some CD changers.  Ask a car stereo
shop, this should be relatively cheap.

New BMW is not the way to go, sorry to say.  As much as I love BMW and
Apple, the product just sucks.  You need to create special playlists
(BMW1-BMW5), can't see track names, just numbers.. poorly engineered,
which is a shock since I think BMW makes the best cars and Apple makes
the best computer hardware and MP3 players.

Check into Alpine decks, they have a method to hook up the iPod that
gives you a display of track names and playlists and all that RIGHT ON
YOUR DECK!  Better than the BMW setup by a long shot, IMO.  But you
need a compatable Alpine deck, plus the special hookup thingy.

- reid

> No experience with a Windows iPod on a Mac, but have played my iPod
> many hours through my car stereo. Note that I said "played through" as
> opposed to "hooking it up" as in your questions. I presently use the
> Griffin iTrip, but have also used the Belkin thingie. I like the iTrip
> because it gets its power from the iPod and doesn't need batteries. I
> used the Belkin device (can't remember its name) before I got the iTrip
> and it went through AAA batteries like crazy. I have another thing that
> plugs into the car accessory outlet (cigarette lighter) and plugs into
> the dock port on the iPod to power it while driving. I have looked at
> the Griffin RoadTrip online, but haven't seen it in stores yet. It's,
> essentially, a power dock and FM transmitter combined. The thing that
> makes it attractive is that it is hardware controlled to change the FM
> frequency. The iTrip is software controlled, which is almost impossible
> (and very unsafe) to change while driving--and is impossible to change
> without jumping out of the playlist, changing the frequency, and then
> going back to where you left off. When traveling a long distance, I
> like to put together a very long playlist, put it on shuffle, and let
> it go. If I have to change frequencies, there's no way to get back to
> where you  left off. The RoadTrip (or so I understand), has
> push-buttons to move up and down the frequencies. Of course, the best
> way to hook up your iPod to your vehicle is to buy a new BMW.
> 
> Charles Pearce (charlesp at ksu.edu)
> 
> 
> 
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